Cancel the band
When, as the plane was taking off, the mischievous military transport commander radioed the control tower the three short words, “Cancel the band,” he was pretty sure what the effect of that order would be. And he was right. The control tower would assume there was a VIP on board—which there wasn’t—and protocol dictated that a VIP needed to be met upon arrival by a band. When the tower asked, “Wait, who’s on board?” the commander remained silent. Without further information, the people in charge of arranging a band to greet a VIP picked the solution least likely to get them into trouble if there was, in fact, a VIP on board. When the aircraft arrived at its destination, the crew was met with—you guessed it—a band!
Do we ever find ourselves obeying an order that was never given—metaphorically speaking, providing a band that was never actually requested? We may feel it’s obvious that we wouldn’t do so. But is it really that obvious? What if we’re not talking about the orders given by a person but the “orders” dictated by circumstances? For example, if we’re exposed to what is commonly believed to be a highly contagious disease, accepted rules regarding health would dictate that we get sick. But do we have to obey?
Christian Science answers, “No!” starting from the very basic premise that God is the only creator and the only lawgiver. The Bible tells us that God created all and created it like Him, wholly good (see Genesis 1). His sons and daughters—each of us in our true, spiritual being—reflect Him, are His image and likeness. God did not create evil; therefore, evil was not created and thus cannot possibly have law or authority behind it. It never had the ability to issue or enforce an order.
Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.
